The 2023 Asia-Pacific SSG Forum and the 2023 South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia Sub-Regional Forums took place in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from 1-5 May 2023. The four SSG forums are an integral part of the initiative to Promote Good Security Sector Governance (SSG) in the Asia-Pacific Region, which is coordinated by DCAF.

This forum report combines the main takeaways from all forums. The three thematic topics of the regional forum were the provision of SSG/R support during fragile transitions; the lessons learned from local and global COVID-19 responses for future health crises; and the nexus between climate change, climate security, and SSG/R. The forum also featured a special session on the SSG challenges currently faced by Pacific Islands States.  

This forum report also includes the thematic topics of the three sub-regional SSG forums. The South Asia SSG Forum focussed on the topics of Preventing Violent Extremism, and Migration, Refugees, and Security Provision. The Southeast Asia SSG Forum paid special attention to the topic Youth, Peace, and Security; and the East Asia SSG Forum focussed on the Role of Gender in the Security Sector, as well as on Lessons learned from the Ukraine War. To round off the programme, the forums also featured two crisis management simulation exercises. These focussed on counterterrorism and on humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR), respectively.

The report includes an overview of key takeaways for observers.